Selective simultaneous communication with a wireless communication device based on call type

ABSTRACT

During a call, a radio access network (RAN) may substantially simultaneous communicate with a wireless communication device (WCD) via multiple wireless coverage areas. The number of wireless coverage areas used for this substantially simultaneous communication may vary based on the call type. Thus, for instance, if the call type is a real-time call type, the RAN may use more wireless coverage areas when communicating with the WCD to improve the quality of the call. But, if the call type is a non-real-time call type, the RAN may use fewer wireless coverage areas when communicating with the WCD so that wireless resources are conserved.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to a co-pending application entitled“Selective Simultaneous Communication with a Wireless CommunicationDevice Based on Location and Mobility,” filed on the same day as thisapplication with Ser. No. 13,012,536, the entirety of which is herebyincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Some types of wireless network technologies, such as Code DivisionMultiple Access (CDMA) technologies, allow a wireless communicationdevice (WCD) to communicate with a radio access network (RAN)substantially simultaneously via multiple wireless coverage areas. Thissubstantially simultaneous communication may occur either during callestablishment or after a call has been established.

During call establishment, the RAN may transmit more than one channelassignment message to the WCD. Each of these channel assignment messagesmay be transmitted via a different wireless coverage area. In this way,the probability that the WCD receives at least one channel assignmentmessage is increased.

Once a call has been established, the RAN may transmit copies of thesame bearer data to the WCD via traffic channels from each of severalwireless coverage areas. This approach can increase the likelihood thatthe WCD will receive at least one copy of the bearer data. Additionally,the WCD may be able to combine two or more received copies of the bearerdata such that the WCD can decode the received bearer data more reliablythan if the WCD received only one copy of the bearer data. An analogousprocedure may be used for bearer data transmitted by the WCD.

OVERVIEW

By engaging in substantially simultaneous communication with a WCD, theRAN may be able to provide better wireless service to WCDs that are inmotion and/or WCDs that are establishing or engaged in particular typesof call. For example, as a WCD moves from place to place, the WCD may behanded off from one wireless coverage area to another. By communicatingwith a WCD substantially simultaneously via more than one wirelesscoverage area, it is more likely that the WCD will properly transmitand/or receive information. Similarly, if a WCD is engaged in areal-time call, such as interactive voice or video, the user experienceof the call may improve if the RAN communicates with the WCDsubstantially simultaneously via more than one wireless coverage area.

However, a potential downside of a WCD and a RAN engaging in thissubstantially simultaneous communication is that the communicationrequires use of more wireless air interface resources thannon-simultaneous communication. For example, if the RAN substantiallysimultaneously transmits multiple channel assignment messages to theWCD, each via a different wireless coverage area, control channelresources of each of these wireless coverage areas are used. Similarly,if the RAN substantially simultaneously transmits copies of the samebearer data to the WCD, each copy via a traffic channel from a differentwireless coverage area, traffic channel resources in each of thesewireless coverage areas are used. Thus, excessive use of substantiallysimultaneous communication may have a deleterious impact on the resourceutilization of the RAN. Therefore, it behooves the RAN to be able todetermine when a WCD is unlikely to benefit from substantiallysimultaneous communication, and in response to this determination,reduce the degree of substantially simultaneous communication betweenthe RAN and this WCD.

For instance, if the WCD is not in motion, or moving about only to alimited extent, it may be advantageous for the RAN to communicate withthe WCD via a small number of wireless coverage areas (e.g., only one ortwo). When the WCD's motion is limited in this way, it is unlikely thatthe WCD will experience a handoff to a different wireless coverage area.Therefore, the benefits of substantially simultaneously communicatingwith the WCD via a large number of wireless coverage areas would likelybe minimal.

Accordingly, in a first example embodiment, a RAN may obtain a velocitymeasurement of a WCD. If the obtained velocity measurement meets avelocity threshold (e.g., the WCD's velocity is above a given speed),the RAN may select a first set of wireless coverage areas. However, ifthe obtained velocity measurement does not meet the velocity threshold(e.g., the WCD's velocity is at or below the given speed), the RAN mayselect a second set of wireless coverage areas. The second set ofwireless coverage areas may be smaller than the first set of wirelesscoverage areas.

Then, if the selected set of wireless coverage areas consists of onewireless coverage area, the RAN may communicate with the WCD via the onewireless coverage area. On the other hand, if the selected set ofwireless coverage areas consists of more than one wireless coveragearea, the RAN may communicate with the WCD substantially simultaneouslyvia each wireless coverage area in the selected set. The substantiallysimultaneous communication may involve the RAN transmitting channelassignment messages to the WCD and/or the RAN exchanging bearer datawith the WCD.

In a second example embodiment, a RAN may determine that a first extentof wireless coverage areas is available for facilitating substantiallysimultaneous communication with a WCD. The RAN may also determine thatthe WCD has been substantially stationary for a period of time. Then, inresponse to determining that the WCD has been substantially stationaryfor the period of time, the RAN may communicate with the WCD via asecond extent of wireless coverage areas. The second extent of wirelesscoverage areas may be a subset of the first extent of wireless coverageareas. Particularly, if the second extent of wireless coverage areasconsists of one wireless coverage area, the RAN may communicate with theWCD via the one wireless coverage area. But, if the second extent ofwireless coverage areas consists of more than one wireless coveragearea, the RAN may communicate with the WCD substantially simultaneouslyvia each wireless coverage area in the second extent.

Additionally, if the RAN is engaged in or attempting to establish anon-real-time call with a WCD, it also may be advantageous for the RANto communicate with the WCD via a small number of wireless coverageareas (e.g., only one or two). Unlike real-time calls, non-real-timecalls tend to have more elastic quality requirements, as moderateamounts of delay and loss are more tolerable on these types of calls.Therefore, the benefits of substantially simultaneously communicatingwith WCD via a large number of wireless coverage areas are less likelyto be realized for non-real-time calls.

Accordingly, in a third example embodiment, a RAN may receive, from awireless communication device (WCD), a request to establish a call of agiven call type. The RAN may define a plurality of wireless coverageareas. If the given call type is a real-time call type, the RAN mayselect a first set of wireless coverage areas from the plurality.However, if the given call type is a non-real-time call type, the RANmay select a second set of wireless coverage areas from the plurality.The second set of wireless coverage areas may be smaller than the firstset of wireless coverage areas.

Particularly, if the selected set of wireless coverage areas consists ofone wireless coverage area, the RAN may communicate with the WCD via theone wireless coverage area. But, if the selected set of wirelesscoverage areas consists of more than one wireless coverage area, the RANmay communicate with the WCD substantially simultaneously via eachwireless coverage area in the selected set.

In a fourth example embodiment, a RAN may determine that a first extentof wireless coverage areas is available for facilitating substantiallysimultaneous communication with a WCD. The RAN may receive, from theWCD, a request to establish a call of a given call type. Based on thegiven call type, the RAN may communicate with the WCD via a secondextent of wireless coverage areas. The second extent of wirelesscoverage areas may be a subset of the first extent of wireless coverageareas.

If the second extent of wireless coverage areas consists of one wirelesscoverage area, the RAN may communicate with the WCD via the one wirelesscoverage area. However, if the second extent of wireless coverage areasconsists of more than one wireless coverage area, the RAN maycommunicate with the WCD substantially simultaneously via each wirelesscoverage area in the second extent.

These and other aspects and advantages will become apparent to those ofordinary skill in the art by reading the following detailed description,with reference where appropriate to the accompanying drawings. Further,it should be understood that this overview and other descriptionthroughout this document is merely for purposes of example and is notintended to limit the scope of the invention as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a RAN, in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 depicts a RAN with several wireless coverage areas, in accordancewith an example embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a RAN component, in accordance with anexample embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a first message flow, in accordance with an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 5 is a second message flow, in accordance with an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a first flow chart, in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a second flow chart, in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a third flow chart, in accordance with an example embodiment;and

FIG. 9 is a fourth flow chart, in accordance with an example embodiment.

DESCRIPTION I. Network Architecture

FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram of a wireless communication system100 in which example embodiments can be employed. WCD 101 maycommunicate over an air interface 103 a with a base transceiver station(BTS) 104, which is, in turn, coupled to or integrated with a basestation controller (BSC) 106. Similarly, WCD 102 may communicate over anair interface 103 b with BTS 104. Transmissions over air interface 103 afrom BTS 104 to WCD 101 and over air interface 103 b from BTS 104 to WCD102 may represent “forward links” to the WCDs. Conversely, transmissionsover air interface 103 a from WCD 101 to BTS 104 and over air interface103 b from WCD 102 to BTS 104 may represent “reverse links” from theWCDs.

BSC 106 may be connected to a mobile switching center (MSC) 108. BSC106, MSC 108, or both, may act to control assignment of air interfacetraffic channels, and may provide access to wireless circuit-switchedservices such as circuit-voice and circuit-data services. As representedby its connection to public-switched telephone network (PSTN) 112, MSC108 may also be coupled with one or more other MSCs or other telephonycircuit switches, thereby supporting user mobility across MSC regions,as well as local and long-distance landline telephone services. A homelocation register (HLR) 110, which may be connected to MSC 108, maysupport mobility-related aspects of subscriber services, includingdynamic tracking of subscriber registration location and verification ofservice privileges.

As shown, BSC 106 may also be connected with a packet-data serving node(PDSN) 116 by way of a packet control function (PCF) 114. PDSN 116, inturn, provides connectivity with a packet-switched network 118, such asthe Internet and/or a wireless carrier's private core packet-network.Nodes on network 118 may include, by way of example, an authentication,authorization, and accounting (AAA) server 120, a Mobile InternetProtocol (mobile-IP) home agent (HA) 122, and a remote computer 124.

After acquiring a traffic channel over air interface 103 a, WCD 101 maytransmit a request to PDSN 116 for a connection to the packet datanetwork. Then, following authentication of WCD 101 by AAA server 120,WCD 101 may be assigned an IP address by the PDSN or by HA 122, and maythereafter engage in packet-data communications with entities such asremote computer 124. Similar procedures may take place, via airinterface 103 b, for WCD 102.

In practice, a BSC may serve multiple BTSs, each of which may define oneor more wireless coverage areas. An example of such an arrangement isillustrated in FIG. 2, which shows BSC 106 in network 100 coupled withBTSs 202, 204, and 206. Each BTS is shown at the core of a respectivecircle representing wireless coverage, with each circle divided intothree pie-shaped pieces representing individual wireless coverage areas.With this arrangement, a WCD may operate in any of the wireless coverageareas and can connect, via a serving BTS, with MSC 108 for circuit-basedservices and/or via PCF 114 and PDSN 116 for packet-based services. Notethat the depiction of three wireless coverage areas per BTS in FIG. 2 isintended to be for purposes of example, and other numbers of wirelesscoverage areas per BTS are possible. Further, the relative positions ofthe BTSs and the relative angular orientations of the wireless coverageareas are also illustrative, and other arrangements may be used.Moreover, a BTS's overall wireless coverage may not be circular, and maytake on other shapes and arrangements instead.

A WCD may receive the same bearer data simultaneously from more than onewireless coverage area (herein the term “bearer data” inclusively refersto any form of circuit-switched or packet-switched voice, video, audio,text, graphics, or other type of information). To illustrate how thismay occur, FIG. 2 includes points X and Y. While in the vicinity ofpoint X, a WCD may be able to receive signals from wireless coverageareas of BTS 202 and BTS 204. Similarly, while in the vicinity of pointY, a WCD may be able to receive signals from wireless coverage areas ofBTS 204 and BTS 206. It should be noted that, in practice, a WCD locatedat or near points X or Y may be able to receive signals (and thereforesimultaneously receive the same bearer data) from more than two wirelesscoverage areas.

In general, the depictions of both FIGS. 1 and 2 are illustrative.Therefore, in a RAN, there could be more or fewer of each element thanis shown, and some elements may be omitted altogether. Additionally,other types of elements not shown may be present. Further, any of theseelements may be combined with one another, physically or logically, ordistributed across multiple physical devices. Thus, the particulararrangements shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 should not be viewed as limitingwith respect to the present invention. For instance, BSC 106 may bereplaced by one or more radio network controllers (RNCs), and MSC 108may be replaced, in whole or in part, by one or more softswitch and/ormedia gateway components.

FIG. 3 is a simplified block diagram exemplifying a RAN component 300,illustrating some of the functional elements that may be found in a RANarranged to operate in accordance with the embodiments herein. RANcomponent 300 could be any type of device found in or associated with aRAN, such as a BTS, a BSC, or an MSC. For purposes of illustration, thisspecification may equate RAN component 300 to a BSC from time to time.Nonetheless, it should be understood that the description of RANcomponent 300 could apply to any component used for the purposesdescribed herein.

RAN component 300 may include a processor 302, a data storage 304, anetwork interface 306, and an input/output function 308, all of whichmay be coupled by a system bus 310 or a similar mechanism. Processor 302may include one or more CPUs, such as one or more general purposeprocessors and/or one or more dedicated processors (e.g., applicationspecific integrated circuits (ASICs) or digital signal processors(DSPs), etc.)

Data storage 304, in turn, may comprise volatile and/or non-volatiledata storage and can be integrated in whole or in part with processor302. Data storage 304 may store program instructions, executable byprocessor 302, and data that is manipulated by these instructions tocarry out the various methods, processes, or functions described herein.Alternatively, these methods, processes, or functions can be defined byhardware, firmware, and/or any combination of hardware, firmware andsoftware. Therefore, data storage 304 may be a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructionsthat, if executed by a computing device, cause the computing device tocarry out any of the methods, processes, or functions disclosed in thisspecification or the accompanying drawings.

Network interface 306 may take the form of a wireline connection, suchas an Ethernet, Token Ring, or T-carrier connection. Network interface306 may also take the form of a wireless connection, such as IEEE 802.11(Wifi), BLUETOOTH®, or a wide-area wireless connection. However, otherforms of physical layer connections and other types of standard orproprietary communication protocols may be used over network interface306. Furthermore, network interface 306 may comprise multiple physicalinterfaces.

Input/output function 308 may facilitate user interaction with exampleRAN component 300. Input/output function 308 may comprise multiple typesof input devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, and soon. Similarly, input/output function 308 may comprise multiple types ofoutput devices, such as a monitor, printer, or one or more lightemitting diodes (LEDs). Additionally or alternatively, example RANcomponent 300 may support remote access from another device, via networkinterface 306 or via another interface (not shown), such an RS-232 orUniversal Serial Bus (USB) port.

II. CDMA Communications

The present invention will be described by way of example with referenceto Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) communications. However, itshould be understood that the invention can apply to other families ofprotocols now known or developed in the future.

In a CDMA wireless network, each wireless coverage area may employ oneor more frequency bands, typically 1.25 MHz in bandwidth each, and eachwireless coverage area may be distinguished from adjacent wirelesscoverage areas by a pseudo-random number offset (“PN offset”). Further,each wireless coverage area may concurrently communicate on multiplechannels that are distinguished from one another by different CDMA codes(i.e., different Walsh codes). When a WCD operates in a given wirelesscoverage area, communications between the WCD and the BTS of thewireless coverage area may be carried on a given frequency and may alsobe encoded (e.g., modulated) by the wireless coverage area's PN offsetand a given Walsh code.

Air interface communications in a wireless coverage area may be dividedinto forward link communications and reverse link communications. On theforward link, certain Walsh codes may be reserved for defining controlchannels, including a pilot channel, a sync channel, and one or morepaging channels, and the remainder may be assigned dynamically for useas traffic channels, i.e., to carry bearer data such as email, webbrowsing, voice, video, and so on. Similarly, on the reverse link, oneor more offsets of a CDMA code (i.e., offsets of a PN long code) may bereserved for defining control channels, such as access channels, and theremaining offsets may be assigned dynamically to WCDs for use as trafficchannels.

a. Soft Handoff

During a call, a WCD may communicate via a number of “active” wirelesscoverage areas at a time. Depending on the type and/or configuration ofthe RAN, the number of active wireless coverage areas may be from one tosix. However, more than six active wireless coverage areas may be usedwithout departing from the scope of this invention. The WCD may maintaina list of the active wireless coverage areas, identified according totheir PN offsets. This list may be referred to as the WCD's “activeset.”

A RAN may be arranged to transmit the same bearer data to a given WCDconcurrently via some or all of the wireless coverage areas in the givenWCD's active set, encoding each transmission according to the PN offsetof the respective wireless coverage area and the Walsh code for theassigned channel therein. Correspondingly, the WCD may decode forwardlink transmissions from each wireless coverage area using the respectivewireless coverage area's PN offset together with the WCD's respectivelyallocated Walsh code for the wireless coverage area. The concurrenttransmissions in wireless coverage areas of the active set provides anadded level of reliability to communications, as well as possiblyincreased quality owing to improved signal-to-noise characteristics. Theconcurrency also facilitates a form of seamless handoff between wirelesscoverage areas, referred to as “soft handoff” when the handoff isbetween wireless coverage areas of different BTSs, and “softer handoff”when the handoff is between wireless coverage areas of the same BTS.(For sake of simplicity, only the term “soft handoff” will be used inthe following discussion).

In addition to its active set, the WCD may maintain a list of“candidate” wireless coverage areas (typically up to six, but more ispossible), which includes wireless coverage areas that are not in theWCD's active set but that have sufficient signal strength such that theWCD could demodulate signals from those wireless coverage areas.Further, the WCD may maintain a list of “neighbor” wireless coverageareas that are not in its active set or candidate set, but in closevicinity to the WCD and deemed by the RAN to be wireless coverage areasthat the WCD should monitor for eligibility as candidate wirelesscoverage areas. Other wireless coverage areas that are not in the WCD'sactive set, candidate set, or neighbor set may be members of a“remaining” set.

To facilitate a determination of which wireless coverage areas should bein the WCD's active and candidate sets, each BTS may emit a pilotchannel signal per each wireless coverage area the respective BTSdefines. The WCD may constantly, or from time to time, measure thestrength of each pilot channel signal that it receives and may notifythe RAN when a received pilot strength is above or below designatedthresholds.

More particularly, the BTS may provide the WCD with a handoff directionmessage (HDM), which indicates (i) the PN offsets of the wirelesscoverage areas in the WCD's active set, and (ii) the following handoffparameters that relate to pilot signal strength:

-   -   T_ADD: Threshold pilot strength for addition to the active set        (e.g., −14 decibels (dB))    -   T_COMP: Difference in signal strength from an active set pilot        (e.g., 2 dB)    -   T_DROP: Threshold pilot strength for removal from the active set        (e.g., −16 dB)    -   T_TDROP: Time for which an active set pilot falls below T_DROP        to justify removal from the active set (e.g., 2 seconds)

The WCD may then monitor the pilot signals that it receives, measuringsignal strength for each as E_(c)/I_(o), where E_(c) is energy per CDMAchip for the pilot signal of a given wireless coverage area and I_(o) isthe total power received. Values of E_(c)/I_(o) may range from 0 dB(very good signal strength) to −16 dB (very poor signal strength). Itshould be understood that E_(c)/I_(o) measures a signal-to-noise ratio,but other methods of measuring signal strength, as well as other rangesof signal strength values, may be used.

If the pilot signal strength of any neighbor wireless coverage areaexceeds T_ADD, the WCD may add the pilot to its “candidate” set, andtransmit a pilot strength measurement message (PSMM) to the BSC withinformation indicative of the identity of the wireless coverage area. Ifthe pilot strength exceeds any active wireless coverage area signal byT_COMP, the BSC may then transmit an HDM to the WCD, listing the pilotas a new member of the active set. Upon receipt of the HDM, the WCD mayadd the pilot to its active set as instructed, and transmit a HandoffCompletion Message (HCM) to the BSC, acknowledging the instruction, andproviding a list of the pilots (i.e., PN offsets) in its active set.This process of the WCD adding a new wireless coverage area to itsactive set is a soft handoff.

If the WCD detects that the signal strength of a pilot channel in itsactive set drops below T_DROP, the WCD starts a handoff drop timer. IfT_TDROP passes without this signal strength exceeding T_DROP, the WCDmay then transmit a PSMM to the BSC, indicating the wireless coveragearea and the detected E_(c)/I_(o). The BSC may then respond bytransmitting an HDM to the WCD, without the wireless coverage area inthe active set. The WCD may then receive the HDM and responsively movethe wireless coverage area to its neighbor set and transmit an HCM tothe BSC.

In this way, while the WCD is actively communicating (e.g., transmittingand/or receiving bearer data), the WCD may be receiving suchcommunications from more than one wireless coverage area. Further, asthe WCD moves about or the wireless channel conditions between the WCDand its serving BTS(s) change, membership in the WCD's active set,candidate set, neighbor set, and remaining set may also change.Generally speaking, the larger the WCD's active set, the more likely itis that the WCD will receive bearer data correctly.

b. Idle Handoff and Call Establishment

Given the benefits of rapid and reliable assignment of one or moretraffic channels to a WCD, especially when a WCD is in motion, at leasttwo techniques can be used. The first involves the RAN substantiallysimultaneously transmitting channel assignment messages to the WCD viamultiple wireless coverage areas. The second involves the RAN usingchannel assignment messages to assign traffic channels from multiplewireless coverage areas during call establishment. Then, the RAN wouldbe able to substantially simultaneously communicate bearer data with theWCD via multiple wireless coverage areas.

Herein, the term “substantially simultaneously” may be used to describecommunications involving two or more discrete messages that pass throughtwo or more different intermediate points at approximately the sametime. Thus, for example, a RAN substantially simultaneously transmittingchannel assignment messages to a WCD via multiple wireless coverageareas may involve the RAN transmitting n channel assignment messages,each via a different one of n wireless coverage areas, to the WCD. Thesen transmissions may all occur within a relatively short period of time,such as a few tens of milliseconds or less.

Regardless, in order to appreciate these techniques, it is helpful toconsider how the RAN communicates with a WCD that is idle (i.e., notexchanging bearer data with the RAN). In particular, a RAN and/or WCDmay perform an idle handoff between wireless coverage areas, and mayalso establish and incoming or outgoing call in which the WCDparticipates.

An idle WCD may register with a primary wireless coverage area, andlisten to the paging channel of the primary wireless coverage area forincoming call indications, and other information, from the RAN. The RANmay transmit system parameter messages and/or neighbor list updatemessages to the WCD via this primary paging channel. These messages maycontain PN offsets of the pilot channels emitted by BTSs that defineneighboring wireless coverage areas (e.g., wireless coverage areasdefined by the RAN's BTSs or wireless coverage areas defined by nearbyBTSs in different RANs). Similar to an active WCD, an idle WCD maymeasure the pilot channel signal strength that it receives from each ofthese neighboring wireless coverage areas.

If, for some period of time, WCD receives pilot channel signals from aneighboring wireless coverage area at a greater strength than the WCDreceives pilot channel signals from the primary wireless coverage area,the WCD may hand off to the neighboring wireless coverage area. To doso, the WCD may stop listening to the primary wireless coverage area'spaging channel and register with the neighboring wireless coverage area.Accordingly, the WCD may begin listening to the neighboring wirelesscoverage area's paging channel, and may transmit a radio environmentreport message to the RAN, via the neighboring wireless coverage area'saccess channel, indicating the handoff. In this way, the neighboringwireless coverage area becomes the WCD's new primary wireless coveragearea.

When the WCD seeks to engage in a voice or data call, the WCD may usethe primary wireless coverage area's paging channel and access channelto set up the call. For example, when an idle WCD originates a newoutgoing call (i.e., the WCD is the caller), the WCD may transmit one ormore origination, or probe, messages to the RAN via the access channelof the primary wireless coverage area. The RAN may respond by assigninga forward-direction traffic channel to the WCD, and transmitting, viathe paging channel, an indication of this assignment (e.g., a Walsh codeof the assigned traffic channel). This transmission may take the form ofa channel assignment message directed to the WCD. Then, the WCD may usethe assigned traffic channel for receiving bearer traffic for the voiceor data call.

On the other hand, when an idle WCD is the recipient of a new incomingcall (i.e., the WCD is the callee), the RAN may transmit a page requestmessage to the WCD on the paging channel of the primary wirelesscoverage area. In response to receiving the page request message, theWCD may transmit, to the RAN, a page response message via the primarywireless coverage area's access channel. Similar to how outgoing callsare set up, the RAN may respond by assigning a forward-direction trafficchannel to the WCD, and transmitting, via the paging channel, anindication of this assignment (e.g., a Walsh code of the assignedtraffic channel) to the WCD in a channel assignment message. Then, theWCD may use the assigned traffic channel for receiving bearer traffic.

The WCD may transmit bearer data to the RAN on a reverse traffic channelby applying the WCD's assigned PN long code offset to a PN long code.The WCD may then modulate the bearer data according to the resultingpoint in the PN long code.

c. Substantially Simultaneous Transmission of Control Traffic

For purposes of illustration, FIG. 4 shows an example message flow 400of a RAN transmitting channel assignment messages via multiple wirelesscoverage areas during call establishment. FIG. 4 involves WCD 101, BTS202, BTS 204, and BSC 106. BTS 202 defines a wireless coverage area withPN offset 1 (“PN 1”), and BTS 204 defines another wireless coverage areawith PN offset 2 (“PN 2”). BTS 202 and BTS 204 are controlled by BSC106. WCD 101 may be able to receive pilot channel signals of sufficientstrength from both PN 1 and PN 2 such that WCD could communicateeffectively via either of these wireless coverage areas. Without loss ofgenerality, it is assumed that PN 1 is the primary wireless coveragearea of WCD 101.

Preferably, WCD 101 reports, to BSC 106, measurements of the signalstrengths at which WCD 101 receives the pilot channels of PN 1 and PN2.This reporting may occur through the transmission of radio environmentreports or pilot strength measurement messages (PSMMs), or via adifferent type of message.

Steps 402 and 404 illustrate BSC 106, via BTS 202, transmitting anoptional page request message to WCD 101. Such a page request messagemay be transmitted when WCD 101 is paged to answer an incoming voicecall or to receive incoming data. Steps 406 and 408 illustrate WCD 101transmitting a message via BTS 202 to BSC 106. This message may be apage response message transmitted on the access channel in response tothe optional page request message. Alternatively, this message may be anorigination message, also transmitted on the access channel, with whichWCD 101 attempts to establish an outgoing voice or data call. Additionalalternative message types may also be used for this purpose, and anysuch message may be transmitted on the access channel or another type ofchannel.

Regardless of whether an incoming or outgoing call is being establishedfor WCD 101, at step 410, BSC 106 may assign a traffic channel to WCD101. In a possible scenario, BSC 106 may assign a traffic channel fromPN 1. When making the traffic channel assignment, BSC 106 may considerpilot channel signal strength measurements that it received from WCD101. BSC 106 may use these received signal strengths, and/or otherinformation, when determining from which wireless coverage area toassign a traffic channel. Thus, if BSC 106 determines that WCD 101receives the pilot signal from PN 1 at a lower strength than that of PN2, BSC 106 may instead assign a traffic channel from PN 2 to WCD 101.

At steps 412 and 414, BSC 106 may transmit a first channel assignmentmessage via BTS 202 to WCD 101. The first channel assignment message mayinclude a traffic channel assignment for PN 1. In other words, the firstchannel assignment message may instruct WCD 101 to use a particularWalsh code to receive from PN 1. Similarly, at steps 416 and 418, BSC106 may transmit a second channel assignment message via BTS 204 to WCD101. The second channel assignment message may also include a trafficchannel assignment for PN 1. By transmitting multiple channel assignmentmessages to WCD 101, the likelihood that WCD 101 receives at least oneof these messages is increased. Regardless, at step 420, WCD 101 maybegin receiving bearer traffic via BTS 202 (using PN 1).

While message flow 400 shows only two channel assignment messages beingtransmitted to WCD 101, more or fewer channel assignment messages may betransmitted to WCD 101 without departing from the scope of theinvention. Further, throughout message flow 400, the names of thesemessages are used for purposes of convenience and messages with othernames may be used for similar purposes.

d. Substantially Simultaneous Transmission of Bearer Data

As described in Section IIa, when the RAN substantially simultaneouslycommunicates bearer data with a WCD via more than one wireless coveragearea, the RAN and WCD may be able to engage in soft handoff procedures.Soft handoff may result in fewer dropped calls and a higher overall callquality, especially if the WCD is in motion.

Channel Assignment into Soft Handoff (CASHO) has been proposed as a wayof assignment multiple traffic channels from different wireless coverageareas to a WCD during call establishment. Thus, using CASHO proceduresmay increase the reliability and quality of the initial portions of thecalls.

Also for purposes of illustration, FIG. 5 shows an example message flow500 of a RAN and WCD engaging in CASHO procedures. Like FIG. 4, FIG. 5involves WCD 101, BTS 202, BTS 204, and BSC 106.

Steps 502 and 504 illustrate BSC 106, via BTS 202, transmitting anoptional page request message to WCD 101. Steps 506 and 508 illustrateWCD 101 transmitting a page response message or origination message viaBTS 202 to BSC 106. At step 510, BSC 106 may assign multiple trafficchannels to WCD 101. In particular, BSC 106 may assign one trafficchannel from PN 1, and another traffic channel from PN 2, to WCD 101, inaccordance with CASHO procedures. When making the traffic channelassignment, BSC 106 may consider pilot channel signal strengthmeasurements that it received from WCD 101. BSC 106 may receive thesesignal strengths in radio environment reports or PSMMs, the pageresponse or origination message of steps 506 and 508, or in some othertype of message. In any case, BSC 106 may use these received signalstrengths, and/or other information, when determining whether and/or howto perform CASHO procedures.

At steps 512 and 514, BSC 106 may transmit a channel assignment messagevia BTS 202 to WCD 101. The channel assignment message may includetraffic channel assignments for both PN 1 and PN 2. In other words, thechannel assignment message may instruct WCD 101 to use a particularWalsh code with PN 1 and another Walsh code with PN 2. Accordingly, atsteps 516 and 518, WCD 101 may begin transmitting and receiving bearerdata via both BTS 202 (using PN 1) and BTS 204 (using PN 2). Thus, viaboth BTS 202 and BTS 204, WCD 101 may receive forward direction bearerdata streams from BSC 106, and may combine these streams into a singlestream of bearer data. For example, WCD 101 may add the received signalsfrom BTS 202 and BTS 204. Conversely, via both BTS 202 and BTS 204, BSC106 may receive reverse direction bearer data streams from WCD 101, andmay also combine these streams into a single stream of bearer data.

It should be understood that rather than traversing BTS 202, any of thepage request messages, page response or origination messages, channelassignment messages may instead traverse BTS 204, or both BTS 202 andBTS 204. Alternatively, BSC 106 may assign WCD 101 traffic channels fromtwo different PNs defined by the same BTS. Further, the names of thesemessages are used for purposes of convenience and messages with othernames may be used for similar purposes. Additionally, CASHO proceduresmay be performed such that more than two traffic channels are assignedto a WCD during call initiation.

III. Determining the Extent of Substantially Simultaneous Communication

Transmitting channel assignment messages via multiple wireless coverageareas generally improves the success rates of call establishment, andCASHO generally improves call quality during the initial portion of acall. The more wireless coverage areas used for substantiallysimultaneous communication during channel assignment or CASHOprocedures, the greater the potential benefit to the WCD.

However, as noted above, a possible downside of a WCD and a RAN engagingin this substantially simultaneous communication is that thecommunication requires use of more wireless air interface resources thannon-simultaneous communication. For example, when the RAN substantiallysimultaneously transmits multiple channel assignment messages to theWCD, each via a different wireless coverage area, control channelresources of each of these wireless coverage areas are used. For CASHO,when the RAN substantially simultaneously transmits copies of the samebearer data to the WCD, each copy via a traffic channel from a differentwireless coverage area, traffic channel resources in each of thesewireless coverage areas are used. Thus, excessive use of substantiallysimultaneous communication may have a deleterious impact on the resourceutilization of the RAN. Therefore, it behooves the RAN to be able todetermine when a WCD is unlikely to benefit from substantiallysimultaneous communication, and in response to this determination,reduce the degree of substantially simultaneous communication betweenthe RAN and this WCD.

a. Based on WCD Location and/or Mobility

An idle WCD that is in a substantially stationary position, or justmoving slowly, may be unlikely to benefit from substantiallysimultaneous communication. In particular, such a WCD is less likely tobe handed off than a WCD that is moving more rapidly. Further, any pilotchannel signal strength reports that the RAN receives from the WCD maybe accurate for a longer period of time than those from a WCD that ismoving more rapidly. Thus, the RAN is likely to have a more accurateassessment of the WCD's wireless coverage. Therefore, any wirelesscoverage area resources assigned to the WCD are more likely to providesufficient service to the WCD than if the WCD were moving more rapidly.

Accordingly, a possible aspect of the embodiments herein is to determinewhether a WCD is substantially stationary or moving slowly. If this isthe case, the RAN may reduce the extent of substantially simultaneouscommunication with the WCD in order to conserve wireless resources. Onthe other hand, if the RAN is moving more rapidly, the RAN may increasethe extent of substantially simultaneous communication with the WCD inorder to improve call quality. By maintaining an approximately inverselyproportional relationship between WCD movement and the extent ofsubstantially simultaneous communication with the WCD, the RAN may beable to reduce wireless resource utilization when the WCD is unlikely tobenefit from substantially simultaneous communication, but increase thecall quality when the WCD is likely to experience handoffs.

The magnitude of this potential improvement may be significant. Of thehundreds of millions of WCDs in use, many spend a majority of each dayin a substantially stationary location. For example, many individualstend to spend most of their time in a small number of geographicallocations. Some individuals may spend half of each day, or more, attheir residences. Others may spend approximately this much time at theirresidences, and a similar amount of time at their workplaces. Aside fromresidences and workplaces, there may be a number of locations (perhaps asmall number) that individuals tend to spend time at, such as a friend'sresidence, a relative's residence, or a favorite restaurant. However,the embodiments herein may be used with any geographical location that aWCD enters, and is not limited to just residences, workplaces, and soon.

Therefore, in some embodiments, the RAN, or some other entity, mayrecord the geographical locations at which the WCD tends to remainrelatively fixed. If the WCD remains relatively fixed in a particulargeographical location for a duration of, for instance, 1 minute, 15minutes, 30 minutes, or one hour, the geographical location may berecorded. Then, when the WCD moves about in the future, the RAN mayaccess the recorded geographical locations to determine whether the WCDenters the proximity of a recorded geographical location. If the WCDenters such a proximity, the RAN may assume that the WCD is going toremain in that proximity for a period of time, and proactively reducethe number of wireless coverage areas that the RAN uses to substantiallysimultaneously communicate with the WCD. Conversely, if the WCDdetermines that the RAN has left the proximity of a recordedgeographical location, the RAN may assume that the WCD is going to be inmotion for a period of time, and may proactively increase the number ofwireless coverage areas that the RAN uses to substantiallysimultaneously communicate with the WCD.

The RAN, or another entity, may store the recorded geographicallocations of the WCD. This storage may take the form of a list, a hashtable, a mapping, or any other arrangement that associates the WCD withthe recorded geographical locations. Each recorded geographical locationmay be stored with additional information, such as the amount of timethat the WCD has spent in the respective recorded geographical location,and/or how long ago the WCD was in the proximity of the respectiverecorded geographical location. The recorded geographical locations maybe sorted, indexed, or arranged according to any one or more of piecesof additional information.

TABLE 1 Geographical locations and associated information. GlobalPositioning System Length of Time Time Since Most (GPS) Coordinates ofLocation at Location Recent Visit 41.8788-87.6367 7,200 seconds 600seconds 41.7054-88.0735 14,400 seconds 6,000 seconds 41.7390-88.0540 60seconds 86,400 seconds

Table 1 provides example geographical locations and associatedinformation for a hypothetical WCD. The first entry indicates that theWCD was at location 41.8788-87.6367 for 7,200 seconds (2 hours), butleft this location 600 seconds (10 minutes) ago. The second entryindicates that the WCD was at location 41.7054-88.0735 for 14,400seconds (4 hours), and left this location 6,000 seconds (1 hour and 40minutes) ago. The third entry indicates that the WCD was at location41.7390-88.0540 for 60 seconds (1 minute), and left this location 86,000seconds (24 hours) ago. In some cases, such a table may have more orfewer entries than three, and/or may contain more or less associatedinformation.

FIGS. 6 and 7 provide example embodiments through which a RAN component,such as a BSC, may communicate substantially simultaneously with a WCDbased on the WCD's velocity and/or geographical location. At step 602 ofFIG. 6, a RAN that defines a plurality of wireless coverage areas mayobtain a velocity measurement of a WCD. At step 604, the RAN maydetermine whether the obtained velocity measurement meets a velocitythreshold. If the obtained velocity measurement meets the velocitythreshold, at step 606 the RAN may select a first set of wirelesscoverage areas from the plurality. However, if the obtained velocitymeasurement does not meet the velocity threshold, at step 608 the RANmay select a second set of wireless coverage areas from the plurality.The second set of wireless coverage areas may be smaller than the firstset of wireless coverage areas.

The RAN may obtain the WCD's velocity and/or geographical location in anumber of ways. For example, the WCD may be equipped with a GPStransceiver, or another type of geographical-location-determining and/orvelocity-determining component. Periodically, or from time to time, theWCD may transmit its velocity and/or geographical location to the RAN,or to a server accessible to the RAN. Thus, the RAN may obtain the WCD'svelocity and/or geographical location as needed from this server. On theother hand, the RAN may determine the WCD's geographical locationthrough triangulation. For instance, at two or more BTSs, the RAN maymeasure the radial distance or the directionality of the signal receivedfrom the WCD. From these measurements, the WCD's geographical locationcan be estimated. By comparing two or more such measurements, the WCD'svelocity can be estimated.

Then, at step 610, the RAN may determine whether the selected set ofwireless coverage areas consists of one wireless coverage area. If theselected set of wireless coverage areas consists of one wirelesscoverage area, at step 612 the RAN may communicate with the WCD via theone wireless coverage area. But, if the selected set of wirelesscoverage areas consists of more than one wireless coverage area, at step614 the RAN may communicate with the WCD substantially simultaneouslyvia each wireless coverage area in the selected set.

In some possible embodiments, the RAN may have access to a list ofgeographical locations at which the WCD has previously remainedsubstantially stationary. For instance, the RAN may determine a currentgeographical location of the WCD. Then, the RAN may determine that thecurrent geographical location is within a geographical distancethreshold (e.g., 100 meters, 1,000 meters, or 10,000 meters) of ageographical location in the list. The RAN may condition the selectionof the second set of wireless coverage areas on the current geographicallocation being within the geographical distance threshold of thegeographical location in the list. Additionally, the list ofgeographical locations may be indexed or sorted by lengths of time theWCD remained substantially stationary approximately at each respectivegeographical location in the list. Alternatively, the list ofgeographical locations may be indexed or sorted by how recently the WCDremained substantially stationary approximately at each respectivegeographical location in the list.

FIG. 7 illustrates another example embodiment in which a RAN maycommunicate substantially simultaneously with a WCD. At step 702, theRAN may determine that a first extent of wireless coverage areas isavailable for facilitating substantially simultaneous communicationbetween the RAN and WCD. For instance, the first extent of wirelesscoverage areas may be wireless coverage areas from which the WCDreceives pilot signals above a given strength. Alternatively, the firstextent of wireless coverage areas may be wireless coverage areas withinrange of the WCD.

At step 704, the RAN may determine that the WCD has been substantiallystationary for a period of time. Then, at step 706, in response todetermining that the WCD has been substantially stationary for theperiod of time, the RAN may communicate with the WCD via a second extentof wireless coverage areas. The second extent of wireless coverage areasmay be a subset of the first extent of wireless coverage areas. Theperiod of time may take on a wide range of values, including values suchas one second, one minute, ten minutes or longer.

Additionally, at step 708, the RAN may determine whether the secondextent of wireless coverage areas consists of one wireless coveragearea. If the second extent of wireless coverage areas consists of onewireless coverage area, at step 710 the RAN may communicate with the WCDvia the one wireless coverage area. However, if the second extent ofwireless coverage areas consists of more than one wireless coveragearea, at step 712 the RAN may communicate with the WCD substantiallysimultaneously via each wireless coverage area in the second extent.

In some embodiments, determining that the WCD has been substantiallystationary for the period of time may include determining that the WCDhas been not been handed off between wireless coverage areas during theperiod of time. Alternatively or additionally, determining that the WCDhas been substantially stationary for the period of time may includedetermining that the WCD is moving with a given velocity, and thendetermining that the given velocity is less than a velocity threshold.This velocity threshold can take on a wide range of possible values,such 1 mile per hour, 5 miles per hour, 10 miles per hour, and so on. Asdescribed above, the RAN may determine the given velocity from velocityand/or geographical location reported by the WCD, through BTStriangulation, or through some other means.

Further, the RAN may have access to a list of geographical locations atwhich the WCD has previously remained substantially stationary. Then,determining that the WCD has been substantially stationary for theperiod of time may involve determining that WCD has been substantiallystationary in a given geographical location approximately at ageographical location in the list. Here, the RAN may presume that a WCDapproximately at a geographical location in the list will like remainstationary while in this proximity.

For both of the first and second embodiments, communicatingsubstantially simultaneously with the WCD may involve the RAN exchangingcommunications with the WCD, such that the communications traverse eachof two or more wireless coverage areas at approximately the same time(e.g., the communications occurs within a few tens of milliseconds ofone another or less).

This communication may take place during establishment of a call inwhich the WCD participates. For example, the RAN may transmit arespective channel assignment message to the WCD via each of severalwireless coverage areas.

Alternatively or additionally, communicating substantiallysimultaneously with the WCD via multiple wireless coverage areas mayinvolve the RAN assigning, to the WCD, a respective traffic channel fromeach of the second extent of wireless coverage areas. Then, during aninitial portion of the call, the RAN may exchange bearer traffic withthe WCD via each of the assigned traffic channels. This exchange ofbearer traffic may involve the RAN transmitting and/or receivingidentical copies of the same bearer traffic via each of the assignedtraffic channels.

b. Based on Call Type

Real-time calls include calls that involve interactive and streamedvoice, audio and/or video, such as voice over IP (VOIP) and push totalk, as well as online audio and video services. These types of callsare typically latency-sensitive, and may be bandwidth-sensitive as well.Further, the media exchanged between the participating entities in thesetypes of calls is typically transmitted only once, as there is no timefor retransmitting lost media. Thus, when the RAN fails to provide areal-time call with the resources needed to meet the call's qualityrequirements, the WCD's user may notice that the call's quality isimpaired. For example, impairments that a user might notice in a VOIPcall include clipped, distorted, or delayed audio, as well as calldrops.

On the other hand, non-real-time calls include calls that involvenon-interactive data transmissions and interactive data transmissionsfor which application response time can vary without disrupting theuser's experience. These types of calls include web browsing, email,background file transfer, and so on. These types of calls are typicallynot as latency sensitive as real-time calls. Additionally, the mediaexchanged between the participating entities in these types of calls istypically retransmitted upon the detection of excessive delay or loss.Thus, even if the RAN provides a non-real-time call with less than anideal amount of wireless resources, the WCD's user may not notice.Therefore, it may be advantageous for a RAN to allocate less wirelesscapacity and/or resources to non-real-time calls than to real-timecalls.

Accordingly, another possible aspect of the embodiments herein is todetermine whether a WCD is engaged in or is attempting to establish anon-real-time call. If this is the case, the RAN may reduce the extentof substantially simultaneous communication with the WCD in order toconserve wireless resources. On the other hand, if the WCD is engaged inor is attempting to establish a real-time call, the RAN may increase theextent of substantially simultaneous communication with the WCD in orderto improve call quality. In doing so, the RAN may be able to reducewireless resource utilization when the WCD is unlikely to benefit fromsubstantially simultaneous communication, but increase the call qualityfor real-time calls.

The RAN may be able to determine the call type based on a service optionthat is associated with the request to establish the call. For example,in CDMA networks, a service option is associated with each trafficchannel allocated to a WCD, and specifies the type of bearer data thatis expected to traverse the traffic channel as well as the encoding thatthe RAN and WCD used to transmit this bearer data. Thus, in CDMA,service option 33 typically refers to traffic channels used fornon-real-time media, while service options 62 and 63 typically refer totraffic channels used for variable-rate wideband speech. On the otherhand, other techniques could be used instead of or in addition toexamination of service options.

TABLE 2 Maximum number of wireless coverage areas per call type. MaximumNumber of Wireless Call Type Coverage Areas Non-real-time 1-2 Real-timeNo limit

Table 2 provides examples of maximum number of wireless coverage areasfor different call types. For non-real-time call types, the RAN maylimit the extent of substantially simultaneous communication with theWCD to one or two wireless coverage areas. However, for real-time calltypes, the RAN might not limit the extent of substantially simultaneouscommunication with the WCD. Further, the number of wireless coverageareas available for substantially simultaneous communication may belimited by the number of wireless coverage areas in range of the WCD.Additionally, the RAN may condition the number of wireless coverageareas on other factors as well, such as the pilot signal strength theWCD receives from nearby wireless coverage areas, and the load on thesewireless coverage areas. For example, if a WCD engaged in anon-real-time call reports that it receives pilot signals with lowstrengths from nearby wireless coverage areas, and/or if the nearbywireless coverage areas are lightly loaded, the RAN may use more than1-2 wireless coverage areas for substantially simultaneous communicationwith the WCD.

FIGS. 8 and 9 provide example embodiments through which a RAN component,such as a BSC, may communicate substantially simultaneously with a WCDbased on the WCD's call type. At step 802 of FIG. 8, a RAN that definesa plurality of wireless coverage areas may receive, from a WCD, arequest to establish a call of a given call type. At step 804, the RANmay determine whether the given call type is a real-time call type. Thisdetermination may be made based on a service option that is associatedwith the request to establish the call.

If the given call type is a real-time call type, then at step 806 theRAN may select a first set of wireless coverage areas from theplurality. However, if the given call type is not a real-time call type(e.g., the given call type is a non-real-time call type), then at step808 the RAN may select a second set of wireless coverage areas from theplurality. The second set of wireless coverage areas may be smaller thanthe first set of wireless coverage areas.

Then, at step 810, the RAN may determine whether the selected set ofwireless coverage areas consists of one wireless coverage area. If theselected set of wireless coverage areas consists of one wirelesscoverage area, then at step 812 the RAN may communicate with the WCD viathe one wireless coverage area. But, if the selected set of wirelesscoverage areas consists of more than one wireless coverage area, then atstep 814 the RAN may communicate with the WCD substantiallysimultaneously via each wireless coverage area in the selected set.

FIG. 9 illustrates another example embodiment in which a RAN maycommunicate substantially simultaneously with a WCD. At step 902, theRAN may determine that a first extent of wireless coverage areas isavailable for facilitating substantially simultaneous communicationbetween the RAN and WCD. For instance, the first extent of wirelesscoverage areas may be wireless coverage areas from which the WCDreceives pilot signals above a given strength. Alternatively, the firstextent of wireless coverage areas may be wireless coverage areas withinrange of the WCD.

At step 904, the RAN may receive, from a WCD, a request to establish acall of a given call type. Then, at step 906, based on the given calltype, the RAN may communicate with the WCD via a second extent ofwireless coverage areas. The second extent of wireless coverage areasmay be a subset of the first extent of wireless coverage areas.

The given call type may be a non-real-time call type. Particularly, thegiven call type may be a non-interactive, non-real-time call type. Thecall type may be determined based on a service option that is associatedwith the request to establish the call.

Additionally, at step 908, the RAN may determine whether the secondextent of wireless coverage areas consists of one wireless coveragearea. If the second extent of wireless coverage areas consists of onewireless coverage area, at step 910 the RAN may communicate with the WCDvia the one wireless coverage area. However, if the second extent ofwireless coverage areas consists of more than one wireless coveragearea, at step 912 the RAN may communicate with the WCD substantiallysimultaneously via each wireless coverage area in the second extent.

For both of the third and fourth embodiments, communicatingsubstantially simultaneously with the WCD may involve the RAN exchangingcommunications with the WCD, such that the communications traverse eachof two or more wireless coverage areas at approximately the same time.

This communication may take place during establishment of a call inwhich the WCD participates. For example, the RAN may transmit arespective channel assignment message to the WCD via each of severalwireless coverage areas.

Alternatively or additionally, communicating substantiallysimultaneously with the WCD via multiple wireless coverage areas mayinvolve the RAN assigning, to the WCD, a respective traffic channel fromeach of the second extent of wireless coverage areas. Then, during aninitial portion of the call, the RAN may exchange bearer traffic withthe WCD via each of the assigned traffic channels. This exchange ofbearer traffic may involve the RAN transmitting and/or receivingidentical copies of the same bearer traffic via each of the assignedtraffic channels.

It should be understood that FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9 depict non-limitingembodiments. Thus, more or fewer steps than shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and9 may be used without departing from the scope of the invention.Additionally, each of these steps may be repeated one or more times, ormay be omitted altogether. Moreover, these steps may occur in adifferent order than shown in FIGS. 6, 7, 8, and 9. Further, the flowcharts of these figures may be combined with one another, in whole or inpart, also without departing from the scope of the invention. Forinstance, the number of wireless coverage areas that the RAN uses forsubstantially simultaneous communication with a WCD may be based on somecombination of the WCD's velocity, location, and call type.

IV. Conclusion

Example embodiments have been described above. Those skilled in the artwill understand, however, that changes and modifications may be made tothese embodiments without departing from the true scope and spirit ofthe invention, which is defined by the claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: a radio access network (RAN) receiving, from a wireless communication device (WCD), a request to establish a call of a given call type, wherein the RAN defines a plurality of wireless coverage areas, wherein the RAN determines the given call type based on a service option that is associated with the request to establish the call; when the given call type is a real-time call type, the RAN selecting a first set of wireless coverage areas from the plurality; when the given call type is a non-real-time call type, the RAN selecting a second set of wireless coverage areas from the plurality, wherein the second set of wireless coverage areas is smaller than the first set of wireless coverage areas; when the selected set of wireless coverage areas consists of one wireless coverage area, the RAN communicating with the WCD via the one wireless coverage area; and when the selected set of wireless coverage areas consists of more than one wireless coverage area, the RAN communicating with the WCD substantially simultaneously via each wireless coverage area in the selected set, wherein communicating substantially simultaneously via each wireless coverage area in the selected set comprises during establishment of a call in which the WCD participates, the RAN assigning, to the WCD, a respective traffic channel from each wireless coverage area in the selected set, and during an initial portion of the call, the RAN exchanging bearer traffic with the WCD via each of the assigned traffic channels.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein communicating substantially simultaneously via each wireless coverage area in the selected set comprises: during establishment of a call in which the WCD participates, the RAN transmitting a respective channel assignment message to the WCD via each wireless coverage area in the selected set.
 3. A method comprising: a radio access network (RAN) determining that a first extent of wireless coverage areas is available for facilitating substantially simultaneous communication with a wireless communication device (WCD); the RAN receiving, from the WCD, a request to establish a call of a non-real-time call type, wherein the RAN determines the non-real-time call type based on a service option that is associated with the request to establish the call; and based on the non-real-time call type, the RAN communicating with the WCD via a second extent of wireless coverage areas, wherein the second extent of wireless coverage areas is a subset of the first extent of wireless coverage areas, wherein (i) when the second extent of wireless coverage areas consists of one wireless coverage area, the RAN communicates with the WCD via the one wireless coverage area, and (ii) when the second extent of wireless coverage areas consists of more than one wireless coverage area, the RAN communicates with the WCD substantially simultaneously via each wireless coverage area in the second extent, wherein communicating substantially simultaneously with the WCD via each wireless coverage area in the second extent comprises during establishment of a call in which the WCD participates, the RAN assigning, to the WCD, a respective traffic channel from each wireless coverage area in the second extent, and during an initial portion of the call, the RAN exchanging bearer traffic with the WCD via each of the assigned traffic channels.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the non-real-time call type is a non-interactive non-real-time call type.
 5. The method of claim 3, wherein communicating substantially simultaneously via each wireless coverage area in the second extent comprises: the RAN exchanging communications with the WCD, wherein the communications traverse each wireless coverage area in the second extent at approximately the same time.
 6. The method of claim 3, wherein communicating substantially simultaneously with the WCD via each wireless coverage area in the second extent comprises: during establishment of a call in which the WCD participates, the RAN transmitting a respective channel assignment message to the WCD via each wireless coverage area in the second extent.
 7. The method of claim 3, wherein the RAN transmits and receives identical copies of the same bearer traffic via each of the assigned traffic channels.
 8. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by a radio access network (RAN), cause the RAN to perform operations comprising: determining that a first extent of wireless coverage areas is available for facilitating substantially simultaneous communication with a wireless communication device (WCD); receiving, from the WCD, a request to establish a call of a non-real-time call type, wherein the RAN determines the non-real-time call type based on a service option that is associated with the request to establish the call; and based on the non-real-time call type, communicating with the WCD via a second extent of wireless coverage areas, wherein the second extent of wireless coverage areas is a subset of the first extent of wireless coverage areas, wherein (i) when the second extent of wireless coverage areas consists of one wireless coverage area, the RAN communicates with the WCD via the one wireless coverage area, and (ii) when the second extent of wireless coverage areas consists of more than one wireless coverage area, the RAN communicates with the WCD substantially simultaneously via each wireless coverage area in the second extent, wherein communicating substantially simultaneously with the WCD via each wireless coverage area in the second extent comprises during establishment of a call in which the WCD participates, the RAN assigning, to the WCD, a respective traffic channel from each wireless coverage area in the second extent, and during an initial portion of the call, the RAN exchanging bearer traffic with the WCD via each of the assigned traffic channels.
 9. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the non-real-time call type is a non-interactive non-real-time call type.
 10. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein communicating substantially simultaneously via each wireless coverage area in the second extent comprises: exchanging communications with the WCD, wherein the communications traverse each wireless coverage area in the second extent at approximately the same time.
 11. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein communicating substantially simultaneously with the WCD via each wireless coverage area in the second extent comprises: during establishment of a call in which the WCD participates, the RAN transmitting a respective channel assignment message to the WCD via each wireless coverage area in the second extent.
 12. The article of manufacture of claim 8, wherein the RAN transmits and receives identical copies of the same bearer traffic via each of the assigned traffic channels. 